I don’t know about you, but I spent last Saturday watching the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla. I love the traditions and the history involved. This is the formal ceremony for the new monarch, but a sovereign’s reign begins with the death of the previous. Queen Elizabeth II was the queen for 70 […]
God Save the King! Read More »
Well, we’re moving again. It’s always hectic, but I consider it a chance to explore a new place and meet new people. Since I know this won’t be our last move, I like to look at it as a vacation—a really long vacation. We thought we’d be moving back to Virginia to our house on
On the Road Again… Read More »
I love architecture. My family will confirm this, as they have often joined my meanderings down cobblestone streets or busy sidewalks to view a building. And so it was when Dave and I recently visited Palma de Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. We were on our way to see
Seeing Moor of Palma Read More »
These days, it seems most people play games online. Me? I’m a bit old-school. I prefer board games. There is something special about sharing the fun while sitting around the table with friends and family. And, you may even learn something as you play. This week, we are visiting our son and his wife in
I confess I haven’t always been a football (soccer) fan. I grew up in the Midwest, and while I had heard of it, I’d never seen a match nor known anyone who played. The Kansas City Chiefs were my football team. It wasn’t until I met my husband, Dave, who’d played in college, that I
What is art? How do we define it? Different people have different tastes. My husband, for example, likes the dark, heavy work of the Old Masters and the stormy seas of J.M.W. Turner. I prefer a lighter touch and enjoy the paintings of Monet, and the Arts & Crafts and Art nouveau movements, including the
On my recent foray into the ancient Celts in Hallstatt and Hallein, Austria, I discovered why these areas were so prominent in history. White gold, or salt, was found in those mountains over 7,000 years ago. Neolithic man mined salt up through the Stone Age using picks made of antlers. This mining process became easier
Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and I am wearing my green. Usually, I eat corned beef and cabbage while enjoying a Guinness. However, I am going out with friends today to celebrate the winter beer, bock bier, here in Germany. I wonder if they will have corned beef on the menu. So who was St.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Read More »
Last year, I dedicated each post in March to the Irish. With St. Patrick’s Day falling in the middle of the month, it seemed appropriate. Now, it seems almost a sacrilege to research the ancient Celtic people in Bohemia rather than those in Ireland this month. But is it? For over a thousand years, the
Searching for Celts Read More »
Recently, several people reading Sign of Nine Stripes commented in their reviews that it was surprising the Natives spoke English so well. I hadn’t gotten that comment before, and I realized as advanced readers of the third book, they hadn’t read the first one. So perhaps I need to add that to my author’s notes.
Back to the Research Read More »